“Wild Atlantic salmon in some areas of Newfoundland and Labrador have declined 45 per cent since 2015, and this project could worsen the situation,” said James Dinn, president of the Salmonid Association of Eastern Newfoundland.

“The threats posed by open-net pen salmon farming to wild salmon populations are well documented. Wild salmon can be severely affected by competition, interbreeding and disease. Given these significant threats, we are calling on the province to develop its aquaculture industry in an environmentally responsible and precautionary manner.”

Sarah McDonald, lawyer for Ecojustice, said they believe there are “glaring loopholes in the way fish farms are regulated in the province, which multinational corporations are using to expand their operations in a way that allows them to avoid environmental assessment.”